The 1st Armoured Division

The 1st Armoured Division had fought in France in May and June 1940. They had to be reformed as a unit with new components. The new organization included the 2nd and 22nd Armoured Brigades. The 12th Lancers were now the armoured car regiment. They were dispatched to Egypt in 1941. The 22nd Armoured Brigade consisted of the 2nd Royal Gloucester Hussars and the 3rd and 4th County of London Yeomanry. The 22nd Armoured Brigade arrived in the Desert in October 1941, and were given to the 7th Armoured Division. By May 1943, the 22nd Armoured Brigade was back with the 1st Armoured Division, but was assigned to the 10th Armoured Division at Alam el Halfa. They were then moved back to the 7th Armoured Division for the remainder of the North African campaign. The 1st Armoured Division retained the 2nd Armoured Brigade for most of the war. By 1944, they had the 4th Hussars as their armoured car regiment.